4.5 kg9.92 lb
An average adult house cat weighs about 4.5 kg (9.9 lb), and most adults fall between 4 and 5 kg (8.8 to 11 lb). Males are usually heavier than females, and breed matters: a big Maine Coon male can top 9 kg (20 lb). The heaviest cat on record, Himmy, weighed 21.3 kg (47 lb).
| Heaviest on recordHimmy, Australia, at his death in 1986 | 21.3 kg47 lb |
|---|---|
| Large Maine Coon maleMature males often reach or pass 20 lb | 9.1 kg20.1 lb |
| Typical adultMost adults weigh 4 to 5 kg | 4.5 kg9.92 lb |
| Singapura femaleOne of the smallest breeds, about 4 to 5 lb | 2 kg4.41 lb |
| Newborn kittenUsually 50 to 100 g at birth | 100 g3.53 oz |
Adult domestic cats typically weigh 4 to 5 kg (8.8 to 11 lb). An average cat is about 46 cm (18 in) long from nose to rump, with a tail of about 30 cm (12 in), and stands 23 to 25 cm (9 to 10 in) tall.
The largest study of cat weights, from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, looked at 54 million weight records from about 19 million cats seen by vets in Canada and the United States. Males tended to reach higher peak weights than females, and spayed or neutered cats tended to be heavier than unaltered ones.
Cats also keep gaining after they are fully grown. In the same study, ordinary domestic cats were heaviest at about 8 years old, and the average weight of neutered 8-year-olds rose between 1995 and 2005 before leveling off.
Pedigreed cats spread the range in both directions. The Cat Fanciers’ Association says it is not unusual for a mature Maine Coon male to reach or exceed 20 lb (9.1 kg), while females are smaller. The breed matures slowly and can take up to three years to reach full size.
At the other end, the Singapura is one of the smallest pedigreed breeds. Adult males weigh 6 to 7 lb (2.7 to 3.2 kg) and females closer to 4 to 5 lb (1.8 to 2.3 kg), less than half of what a large Maine Coon weighs.
The Cornell Feline Health Center defines feline obesity as a body weight 20 percent or more above normal. For a cat whose healthy weight is 4.5 kg, that line falls at 4.5 × 1.2 = 5.4 kg (11.9 lb). Because a healthy weight depends on the cat’s frame, vets judge it with a nine-point body condition score instead of a single number: 4.5 to 5 is ideal, and the check is done by feeling the ribs and looking at the cat from the side and from above.
Extra weight is common. In a 2022 survey by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, vets classified 61% of the cats they saw in the United States as overweight or obese. Obese cats have more diabetes and suffer more from arthritis, according to Cornell.
The heaviest cat on record was Himmy, owned by Thomas Vyse of Australia. He weighed 21.3 kg (46 lb 15.5 oz) when he died on 12 March 1986, aged 10 years and 4 months.
His record will not be broken officially. Guinness World Records dropped the heaviest pet categories in 1998 to discourage owners from overfeeding their animals to get into the book.
An average adult house cat weighs about 9.9 lb (4.5 kg). Most adults weigh between 8.8 and 11 lb, though large breeds like the Maine Coon can reach 20 lb or more.
A newborn kitten weighs about 50 to 100 g (1.8 to 3.5 oz). Healthy kittens gain roughly 7 to 14 g a day and should double their birth weight in about 10 days.
Yes, usually. A study of 19 million cats found that males reach higher peak weights than females, and in breeds like the Singapura and Maine Coon the breed descriptions show females as noticeably smaller.
Ordinary domestic cats reach their highest average weight at about 8 years old. For common purebreds such as the Siamese, Persian and Maine Coon, the peak comes between 6 and 10 years.
Most cats sleep 12 to 16 hours a day, with 13 to 14 hours being average. Some sleep as much as 20 hours.
Last checked October 2, 2026.
